title: Is a dilated inguinal ring a good predictor of a hernia?
abstract: Diagnosis of a groin hernia based on the size of the external inguinal ring is not always reliable. The external ring can be dilated without a hernia being present, or it can be of normal size when a hernia is present. All techniques of hernia repair attempt to reconstruct the posterior floor of the inguinal canal. The posterior approach allows visualization of the entire groin area, and any form of hernia can be defined and repaired without examining the external inguinal ring. The recurrence rate with this approach is less than 2%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Brown University Program in Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Greenburg
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007264:Inguinal Canal / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D012008:Recurrence